Three the Movie

Likely, the most influential woodworker of all time explores the world on the eve of World War, finding inspiration and purpose. The esoteric cultures and aesthetics George experienced became the complex foundation for his life's work. George Nakashima's great love for "imperfect" natural wood and his inspired designs made him a seminal woodworker, admired and influential to this day. George's search for his "reason for being" - in French, raison d'etre; in Japanese, Ikigai - took him around the world during the Great Depression into his mid-thirties. His seeker's journey continued through his family's desert imprisonment in Idaho. Rather than solely focusing on his craft, the documentary explains how his unique collection of esoteric experiences brought him to originate a new way to honor the lives of trees and make his creative work a spiritual act. The filmmaker/narrator is a nephew, John Nakashima. —John Nakashima